Merlin was a "rescue baby" from the NSPA. When he came into my life, we were actually volunteering for NSPA by foster caring for cats and kittens. He was full grown (probably 4 yrs old) and quit a large framed cat with beautiful blue-gray medium length fur and green eyes. We were told when we took him home with us that the suspicion was that he would be unadoptable as he may have been abused, but we should see what happens and let them know.
He had been living outside for a while, so first thing we did when we got him home was give him a much needed bath. That was a scary proposition because he was quite strong, had very long fangs, and a full set of claws. As frightened as he was and obviously not fond of being wet, he never growled, hissed, bit or scratched. Once the bath was done, he went and hid under the bed in our guest room for a week. Then one day, he came out from under the bed just purring and wanting to be on my lap whenever possible. (He was very skittish around Kevin, so we suspect if he was abused it must have been by a man.) I decided that very day that Merlin was going to stay with us forever.
Over the course of these last 6 or 7 years, Merlin got over his skittishness and became quite the lover boy toward everyone. Kevin's standard warning for people visiting our house for the first time was "If you have a lap, you will have a Merlin. I hope you aren't allergic." Boy, that was the truth too. He would sit and watch TV with you all night long. Fall asleep on the sofa and you were never alone. As Pambo can attest, he had a purr that would vibrate the house.
I'm smiling and crying just thinking about all that. If you can imagine, even my normally gruff looking husband (bearded, lots of tattoos kind of guy) was sobbing like a fool right along with me from when we got to the vet until after we buried him. I feel bad for him that he had to pull himself together and go to work to deliver a car after all this. Maybe that is a good thing... we would have each other crying all night.
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MM
That which does not kill me postpones the inevitable.
Thats a great story Mema...Merlin was just as lucky to have you as you were to have him in your life. The fact that you rescued him from a shelter that you were volunteering at says so much about your compassion.
I first read the Rainbow Bridge when I lost my Joshua. He was less than a year old. He was passed around a lot before we got him, probably because he kept getting sick. But although his time on this earth was short, we tried to make his time with us as comfortable as possible.
Our pets are part of our family too, and they seem to understand you better than most humans do. It's always hard to lose a loved one.
